The online contest allows people to nominate community activists for recognition by liking Ameren Missouri’s Facebook page and submitting a 300-character statement and a photo. From those submissions, the program organizers will choose 10 finalists who will receive $250 toward their favorite charity and advance to a round of public voting.

The deadline for submitting nominations is Aug. 6.

People will then be able to vote for a grand prizewinner Aug. 17 to 31. The winner will receive a $10,000 grant for the charity of his or her choice, and the runner-up will receive $2,500. The remaining finalists will each receive $1,000 dollars toward their charities, according to a news release from Ameren.

The winners will be announced after Sept. 10.

Because this is the first time Ameren has sponsored a contest through Facebook, it’s difficult to predict how many people will participate, Daniels said. Thus far, he said, “it’s gotten an overwhelming response."